An investigative report has revealed disturbing details surrounding the death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, whose body was recently returned to Ukraine without several internal organs and bearing signs of torture.
Roshchyna, a reporter known for her frontline coverage of the conflict in Eastern and Southern Ukraine, was initially detained by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) in the early days of the full-scale invasion in 2022, while reporting from the Russian-occupied city of Berdiansk. Although briefly released following international attention, she disappeared once again in August 2023.
It was not until April 2024 that confirmation emerged of her renewed captivity. Tragically, it was also revealed that she had died in Russian custody the previous September at the age of 27.
Her death marks a grim milestone, as she is the only Ukrainian journalist known to have died while held in Russian captivity, according to the media freedom organization Forbidden Stories. Her remains were among 757 bodies repatriated from Russia to Ukraine earlier this year.
A forensic investigation, as cited in a joint media report, revealed extensive evidence of abuse. Her body displayed bruises, abrasions, neck injuries, a broken rib, and suspected electrical burns on her feet. Notably, several internal organs were missing, raising concerns they may have been removed to obscure further evidence of torture.
Yuriy Belousov, head of the War Crimes Unit at Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office, confirmed these findings and stated that Roshchyna’s body showed signs of a prior autopsy conducted before its return to Ukraine. She reportedly died during transfer from a detention center in Taganrog, southern Russia, to Moscow.
Her death has intensified calls for accountability and reinforced the dangers faced by journalists covering conflict zones.
Source: The Guardian, CBS News, Forbidden Stories, The Independent.
